Festival Magic
by Ehliena
Summary: AU: It's the last night of the Festival of Lights and Ben planned to enjoy it with his friends. Instead he meets a rather interesting person, Rey. The night doesn't last forever, and Ben was quite certain that he would never see her again.


It was the last night of the Festival of Lights and Ben Solo, Prince of the Planet of Alderaan, wanted to go have a night out, preferably in anonymity. While he liked the ceremony of most of the functions he had attended over the course of the Festival, he was young, and no one would blame him for wanting to have fun.

"Just be careful," Leia Organa, Queen of Alderaan told him. "And try not to get too drunk, we're meeting General Kenobi from Coruscant tomorrow."

"I remember Mother," Ben replied.

Leia pursed her lips and stepped into his room. She walked over to him and fixed the collar of his shirt. She might have been the Queen to her people, but she was still his mother, first and foremost.

"Enjoy yourself," she said as she patted down the collar. "And don't give Hux too much trouble."

"I won't," he promised.

"And don't go in your 'Matt' disguise," Leia advised, seeing the blond wig on his dresser top. "It's ridiculous."

"I wasn't planning on doing that," Ben lied with a blush. Leia gave him a knowing look.

A knock sounded on the door, grabbing the mother and son's attention. Hux, Ben's bodyguard was standing there with a scowl on his face. Phasma, captain of the guard was also there. Both of them were dressed in civilian attire.

Hux had been Ben's bodyguard for a few years. He was the closest thing Ben had to a friend, and vice versa, much to their dismay.

"Captain Phasma as well?" Ben asked, thinking that it was overkill to have the both of them along.

"Better safe than sorry," Leia shrugged. Turning to address the newcomers, she smiled. "Thank you both for doing this."

"It's our pleasure," Phasma replied politely, Hux just snorted.

"Someone has to keep him out of trouble," Hux said, tilting his head towards Ben.

It might have seemed informal, but Leia just laughed. She knew that the two were close to her son, and that they would guard him, not only because it was their duty, but also because they genuinely liked him.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said. "I shouldn't keep you. Go on, and have fun!"

She all but pushed Ben out of his room with her enthusiasm.

As they made their way through the palace, Phasma, Hux, and Ben walked in silence. The trio had had their share of misadventures and they hoped that this night would not join that list.

It was the Festival of Lights, one of the most, if not the most, celebrated Festivals on Alderaan. They were highly-trained and capable of self-defence. They probably had a lot of concealed weapons on them, all of which they had permits for. What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

"Is this really a wise idea?" Finn asked his companions as they were walking through a crowded street, his voice raised just so he could be heard. "The General-"

"It's fine Finn," Poe replied, grabbing his hand and dragging him along. "It's the last night of the Festival. We should enjoy it. Who knows when we'll ever get the chance to do this again?"

Rey turned her head and smiled at her friends. It was hard to believe that Poe was the higher-ranking officer because of how laid-back and easy-going he was. Finn was a stickler for rules, he was always the one who made sure that they arrived on time at whatever meeting or event they had scheduled. Rey was glad that they were the ones who were assigned to be her guard detail.

"Listen to Poe," Rey suggested, smirking at the look on Finn's face.

"But this is madness!" Finn said. And Rey understood his point.

They were walking around in the middle of the night in a strange place filled to the brim with partygoers in various degrees of drunkenness. Finn didn't see the point in going out and partying where they knew nothing of the landscape.

But here they were strangers, nobodies. Poe understood that Rey needed to experience life as a normal person for once. What better time and place to do so than in the middle of the Festival on Alderaan, one of the safest planets in the galaxy?

"Just relax Finn," Poe said, patting his companion's back. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"The worst that could happen? The worst that _could_ happen?" Finn asked, a bit hysterical but only because he was nervous. "Well for one-"

"Rhetorical, Finn. Rhetorical," Poe said, cutting his rant off before he could get started. "Can you believe this guy Rey?"

Poe paused, making Finn walk right into him. He scanned the crowd and scowled. This was not good.

"What?" Finn asked, steadying the both of them before they could topple over. "Why'd you stop?"

"Rey," Poe said, still turning his head in all directions.

"What about her?"

"I can't see her," Poe shrugged.

"WHAT?!" Finn exclaimed.

He stood on the tips of his toes just to examine the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Finding no sign of her, he started worrying.

"This is bad," Finn said, stating the obvious. "What do we do? The General-"

"Calm down," Poe told him, raising up his comm. "Rey sent a message."

 _Enjoy yourselves! I'll be fine!_

"That could be from her kidnapper," Finn said with narrowed eyes. "For all we know, she could be unconscious and being carried to a ship right now."

"She's not," Poe replied with a shrug.

"How sure are you?"

"Think," Poe advised. "Do you really think that anyone could get one up on Rey?"

Finn paused and thought about it. She was one of the most competent people he knew, and that was saying a lot. Nobody could kidnap her, not without a struggle.

"Still," Finn insisted. "It just feels odd that she would suddenly disappear."

"Not odd," Poe denied. "Not when it was planned."

"Planned?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow. "She planned this and you let her?"

"'Let her?'" Poe laughed. "When did she ever need permission to do anything?"

Finn shrugged, knowing that Poe made a compelling argument. It did not mean that he was pleased with the explanation though.

"How was this planned?" Finn asked.

"I simply asked her if we could possibly spend time together on this trip," Poe replied. "We've hardly had any time alone together."

"You call this alone?" Finn raised a brow. "We're in the middle of a Festival with literally hundreds of people all around us!"

"Ah," Poe smiled, slinging an arm around Finn's waist. "But when I'm with you, the whole world just melts into the background."

"Poe," Finn blushed.

It wasn't often that the two could be a couple. Their respective duties always came first. Most of the time Poe was off-planet on some errand while Finn stayed behind and guarded Rey. It was nice of her to allow them this bit of time together.

Even so, Finn couldn't quite help but worry about her. It was his job to see to her safety and it felt wrong for him to have fun with Poe without knowing where she is.

"Stop worrying," Poe said. "Rey's capable of looking after herself for a few hours."

Finn nodded as he allowed Poe to steer them into some establishment. He knew that she could take care of herself, but he couldn't help but be concerned. Officially, he was her bodyguard. But regardless of all that, Finn considered himself to be her friend.

He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Ben leaned against the railing and looked out into the crowded streets below. He was on the upper floor balcony of their usual bar. They knew the owner, so she didn't make a fuss when the Prince arrived. She treated him like any other customer.

He liked Maz. She was his father's friend after all, and those friends were always interesting.

Ben took a sip from his drink as he observed the revelry that was going on. As glad as he was that the Festival was a success, he was relieved that it was almost over. Despite the boost in the planet's economy because of the tourism, Ben couldn't wait until things quieted down and went back to normal.

He checked his watch and frowned. Ben's two bodyguards had gone back downstairs some time ago. Hux should have already returned with the next round by now. But Ben could understand why Phasma had not yet come back. Lines for the rest rooms were always ridiculously long during these celebrations.

He had half a mind to go looking for them, when a woman arrived. Ben studied her, assessing if she was a threat or not. Her clothes told him she was from off-planet, but that wasn't significant. A lot of people were not locals.

She noticed him staring and gave him an awkward smile.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, gesturing towards the railing. "It's way too crowded down there."

"I don't mind," he replied. "As long as you don't mind the smoke."

He raised his pack of cigarettes as a warning to show what he meant. Some people would have turned the other way. Ben normally would have if someone told him that, since he didn't normally smoke. The pack technically belonged to Hux, but the three of them were sharing it.

"As long as you don't mind mine," she replied, pulling out her own pack from her pocket.

She stood beside him on the railing, placing her drink on top of its flat surface. Ben took a moment to observe her.

Her brown hair was in three buns at the back of her head. She was dressed plainly, in muted light brown clothes. The cut of her clothes was simple, yet stylish. She was definitely not from Naboo or Pan-em.

"Need a light?" he asked, watching her rip open the plastic from her pack.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, taking out a stick and holding it between her index and middle finger.

Ben leaned over and light up his lighter. She took a few puffs before he turned it off. He watched as she took a longer drag and expelled the smoke slowly.

"I'm Rey," she said, holding out her hand in greeting.

"Ben," he replied, shaking it.

They stood there in silence for a moment, just watching the goings-on below. Ben lit up a stick of his own after a while. The chill was getting to him.

"Is it normally this cold?" Rey asked him.

Ben almost laughed. They were making small talk about the weather, of all the clichéd things to do. He didn't want to seem rude so he answered.

"Around this time of year, yes," he replied, taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"Coruscant is different," she said. "It's usually humid around this time."

"That's where you're from?" he asked. "Coruscant?"

"Yes," she nodded, stamping out the last of her stick. "Have you ever been?"

"A few times," he replied, keeping out the fact that he'd only ever been there on diplomatic missions. "But only on short trips."

"There really isn't anything to see there," Rey said with a shrug. "Just the Senate."

Ben shuddered, remembering how boring that place was. Rey caught him and laughed.

"I know," she said with a smile. "My planet is boring."

"But it's necessary for the Republic," Ben offered.

"So we say," Rey chuckled. "It's the Coruscanti way of making ourselves seem important."

Ben laughed out loud. He had met a fair number of people from Coruscant. He was even meeting General Kenobi the next day. Most of the ones he had met seemed stuck up and had no sense of humor. Maybe it was only the politicians who were like that. Maybe common people, as he assumed Rey was, were much different from their leaders.

"It's true!" Rey insisted. "We like to pretend that Coruscant is the center of the galaxy."

"It's a few lightyears off at best," Ben replied. "If it were the center, it would be a black hole."

"Black holes are no fun," Rey replied, taking on an air of wisdom. Ben could tell that she was just about to make a joke. "Then again, Coruscant is no fun either."

They laughed. Ben knew that it was bad form to keep making fun of Coruscant, but he couldn't help it. Rey continued making jokes at her home planet, and he continued laughing at them. He didn't even notice that Hux and Phasma had not returned.

* * *

"I wouldn't go up there, if I were you," Phasma told Hux as he was about to ascend to the second floor.

"Why not?" Hux asked, balancing the tray full of drinks in his hands.

"Ben has company," Phasma smiled, shifting her position against the wall.

"What kind of company?" Hux's eyes narrowed, his posture stiffening, ready to go in there and rescue Ben.

"Not the bad sort," Phasma shrugged. "We should leave them alone."

"It's our duty to guard Ben," Hux insisted.

"There are some things that need to be done solo," Phasma replied.

Hux paused and stared at the woman. He was the one keeping track of just how much alcohol they had in their systems, and he was well-aware of how high her tolerance was. They were nowhere near drunk. Perhaps it was just the festivities that made the usually serious woman crack a joke.

"So it's a woman?" Hux guessed. "An attractive one?"

"Quite," Phasma nodded. "The Queen did instruct him to have fun. When I peeked in earlier, he was laughing and having a good time."

"Then we wait down here," Hux said, moving over to an empty table, in clear view of the stairs.

Phasma gave the stairs one last look. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to see the prince any time soon.

* * *

Rey and Ben continued talking. They found out that they had a few things in common, and a few things that they disagreed on. Like flying.

"I just love the feeling of flying," Rey enthused. "It's like being free."

"I despise flying," Ben admitted. "It's dangerous and risky."

"But the thrill!" Rey exclaimed, waving her hands in excitement. "Pulling out of a nosedive in the nick of time."

"Or failing to do so and crashing," Ben cringed. "Climbing things is thrilling, falling to your death? Not so much."

"You like climbing things?" Rey asked, quirking her eyebrow.

"A bit," Ben nodded. "I like heights, especially when there's solid ground under my feet. It's getting down that bothers me."

Rey laughed. Ben liked her laugh. It was beautiful, just as she was. It was probably the magic of the Festival or the sense of anonymity, but he thought that the night was wonderful.

"Oh," Rey said as she noticed the time. "I should get going. I have an early day tomorrow."

Ben checked his own watch and sighed. It was past 3 and he had to be up and ready by 8. As much as he wanted the night to last longer, he knew that he had to go as well.

In the streets, the people were still having a good time. Even though Ben noticed that they were more or less stumbling rather than walking. The streets were sure to be covered in trash the next day. Not a pretty picture.

Ben glanced at the exit, knowing that Phasma and Hux were likely sitting downstairs waiting for him. While he was thankful that they let him have time alone with Rey, he was feeling a bit mischievous.

"Do you want to climb down?" he suddenly asked, pointing to the edge of the railing. "There are a lot of footholds."

"I thought you don't like the going down part?" Rey smirked.

"It's the last night of the Festival," he reasoned. "I'm with a pretty lady. If now isn't the time to do something crazy, when is?"

"When indeed?" she laughed. "Let's do it!"

They made their way to the edge of the balcony and studied the way down. Ben was right, there were a lot of edges that could be used as footholds.

"I'll go first," he offered, slinging a leg over the rail.

"So you could look up my skirt?" she teased.

"So I can catch you if you fall," he said, giving her a wink. "And you're not wearing a skirt."

"Details," she waved him off. "Go on."

"No kiss for luck?" he asked, slightly joking, slightly gaging her reaction.

She laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Now go."

He gave her a mock salute and climbed down. It was a bit tricky, seeing as how he had never done it before, but he managed. When he got to the ground, he waved his hand, calling Rey down to follow.

"I think I'll take the stairs!" she yelled, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

"Come on!" Ben urged. "Unless you think you can't do it!"

"Oh I can do it!" Rey said, taking his challenge.

She crossed the rail and cautiously felt around with her feet for the first foothold. On her way down she gained confidence. It wasn't a long climb down, but she got too complacent and her foot slipped.

Ben's eyes widened as he saw her fall. He immediately positioned himself to catch her. He braced himself and grunted as she landed in his arms.

"I told you I'd catch you," he said, breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush.

"Maybe I fell on purpose," Rey teased, her breathing also quite rapid from her fall. "Just so you'd catch me."

Ben snorted at the idea. It was stupid, and quite obviously a joke. Still, he played along.

"You fell for me, huh?" he asked, smiling at her. "Don't I get a reward for catching you?"

"It's your fault I fell in the first place," Rey shrugged.

He let her get to her feet, releasing her as soon as she was steady. She suddenly burst into laughter. Ben wondered if the shock of the fall had addled her somehow.

"This was ridiculous," she said between giggles. "It was fun, but ridiculous."

"That was dangerous," Ben replied, the realization that she could've been injured fully hitting him.

"Yes," Rey agreed. "But you caught me, so we shouldn't worry over something that didn't happen."

Ben stared at her, amazed that she could quickly brush off what happened. Yet he still worried.

"Are you certain you're alright?" he asked, just to make sure one last time.

"Positive," she nodded, giving him a winning smile. "I really should get going."

"I'll help you find a cab," he offered, but she shook her head.

"No need," she said. "The place where I'm staying at is quite close by."

"If you're certain?" he asked. His mother raised him to be a gentleman. That meant that he wasn't quite comfortable with letting Rey go alone at this time.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. She patted her pockets and pulled out her pack of cigarettes and tossed it to him. "Here."

"What?" he asked, confused as to the gift.

"I had fun tonight," Rey said, taking a step away from Ben. "In real life, I don't smoke. So take it. As a thank you of sorts."

"I see," he said, shifting the pack to his left hand and offering her his right. "It was nice to meet you Rey."

"Likewise Ben," she took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Stay out of trouble."

With that she turned on her heel and left. Ben watched her retreating form until he lost her in the crowd.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he decided to make his way back to the palace. While he didn't like making Phasma worry, he still needed to get back at Hux for taking pictures of him when he dressed up in the traditional costume of Naboo when a delegation had arrived. The black feathery headdress had been awful, and Hux had not stopped taking pictures or 'black mail' material.

Ben walked around for a while, looking for a cab that he could take home. Seeing none, he checked the sky. The stars were all out and the moon was full. Ben checked his holstered blaster and smiled. He wasn't the least bit tired. A walk home sounded lovely.

* * *

Leia met Hux and Phasma in her sitting room. The pair had returned a while ago without Ben, worrying the Queen.

"I apologize, your Majesty," Hux said, his head bowed in remorse. "It was my fault. I should have kept an eye out for him."

Leia turned her attention to Phasma who just shrugged.

"He left the bar by going down the balcony," Phasma reported. "He had been in the company of a girl the whole night. The girl left and the Prince walked home. My men made sure that he was safe."

"Thank you Captain," Leia replied, she knew that she left her son in capable hands. "I have to go make sure that he gets ready for our appointment."

Leia exited her room, nodding to the guards posted at her doorway. When she was a few meters away, far enough that she was sure Hux thought she could no longer hear them, the bodyguard questioned Phasma.

"What?!" Hux exclaimed. "You knew he was gone, yet you didn't say a word?"

"The Prince had asked me to help him," Phasma replied. Leia couldn't see it, but she heard the shrug in the captain's voice.

"Help him?" Hux asked. "With what?"

"Something about revenge and feathers and a headdress."

Leia turned the corner and could no longer hear their conversation. She smiled to herself. Her son had good friends.

* * *

"Good morning Grandfather," Rey greeted, swooping down to greet her grandfather with a kiss to his cheek.

"Good morning Rey," Obi-wan greeted, gesturing to the empty seat. "Tea?"

"No thank you," she shook her head. "Do we have some caf?"

"I had some made for you," Obi-Wan pointed to the other pot on the table.

Rey smiled and sat down. She poured herself a cup and sipped the bitter liquid, ignoring the milk and sugar that was on the table. Obi-Wan couldn't help but noticed how energetic she was, despite having heard her get in just a couple of hours before dawn.

"Good night?" he asked, a playful smile on his face.

"The best," Rey replied. "Did I wake you when I arrived?"

"No, no," he assured her. "I was already awake."

"At that hour?" her eyes widened then narrowed. "What were you doing?"

"No need for alarm," he said, calming her down. "You know I don't sleep well away from Coruscant."

"Right," she replied. She worried for her grandfather, he had seen far too many battles in his day. She decided to change the topic. "Are you ready for our audience with the Queen?"

"No one is ever ready for an audience with royalty," Obi-Wan replied.

"Grandfather," Rey warned, finding it way too early in the day for his cryptic turn of phrase.

"Yes Rey," he said. "I am prepared for our meeting. Are you?"

"As I'll ever be."

* * *

Leia knocked on Ben's door and entered, not waiting for him to reply. For all she knew he was still in bed, sleeping away the previous night's revelries. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted him in front of his vanity, already dressed for their meeting.

"You're up early," she stated in lieu of a greeting.

"And good morning to you too Mother," Ben replied, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. "I haven't been to bed yet."

"An all-nighter?" Leia asked. "Did you have fun?"

"Quite," he nodded.

Ben could tell that she wanted him to talk more, but he wasn't about to spill everything. Ever since his Uncle moved, she missed having someone to verbally spar with. His Father was the one who usually made up for Uncle's absence, but Han Solo was currently off-planet on a diplomatic mission.

Any moment now, she was going to ask him about his night again. Ben had a feeling that Hux had already given her a report. He wasn't wrong.

"Hux told me that you disappeared," Leia probed. "With a woman."

"It was his fault," Ben shrugged. In a sense, it was since Hux and Phasma didn't return, he was left alone with Rey.

"I'm sure it was," Leia replied, clearly humouring him. "And the girl?"

"What girl?" Ben evaded, shooting his Mother a charming look. The one he learned from his Father in order to get out of trouble.

"Don't give me that look Ben Solo," Leia warned. "I am quite immune to that look."

"What look?" Ben innocently asked.

"You know what look," she replied, shaking her head. She couldn't help but notice how her son was so much like his Father at times.

"It was nothing Mother," Ben told her. "I'll probably never see her again."

"Oh?" Leia asked, surprised that her son would say that when he was staring at a pack of cigarettes. Leia would bet a lot of credits that that pack had something to do with the girl. "Why not?"

"It was probably just the magic of the festival," Ben said, waving his hand as if the motion could dispel whatever magic he was talking about. "Nothing more."

Leia's brow furrowed as she observed her son. His posture was off, still proud, but something was there that wasn't there when he left the previous night. She didn't like to see her son less than his best. Han and Luke told her that she spoiled him, and she might have, but she would do anything to find that girl that Ben was clearly interested in.

"Maybe there's still some magic left," she suggested. If she had to employ their Shadow League in order to make that magic happen, she would. She really wasn't getting any younger, she would prefer having grandchildren while she could still catch up to them.

"Mother," Ben said in a tired voice.

Before anything else could be said, a guard called their attention.

"Majesty," the guard announced. "General Kenobi is waiting in the Azure Room."

"Duty first," Ben said, giving his mother a wry smile. Facing the guard, he nodded. "We'll be on our way."

The guard sketched a bow and left, leaving Ben and Leia alone once more.

"We should go," Ben suggested, holding out an arm for his Mother. "I don't think we should keep the General waiting."

"Don't think this conversation is over Ben," Leia warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it Mother."

* * *

When they entered the Azure Room, Ben noticed two things. The first being that General Kenobi was old. Then again, as a veteran of several campaigns, he really should have expected it.

The second was that Rey, his Rey. The Rey from the bar. The Rey who fell into his arms, was right there, staring into the fireplace. When they were announced, she turned and her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she saw him standing there.

Ben had to calm himself. He had to acknowledge the General first. Personal matters could wait.

"General Kenobi," Ben greeted stepping towards the older man, offering his hand out in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Ben ignored the snort came from Rey. It was only because he was so disciplined that he was able to resist the urge to look at her. Instead, he kept his eyes on Obi-Wan, who was giving him an odd smile.

"Young man," Obi-Wan replied. "As flattering as it is, I haven't been General Kenobi in years. May I introduce my granddaughter, General Rey Kenobi?"

It was Ben's turn to be surprised. His eyes widened as Rey stepped close, an impish look on her face.

"Queen Leia," she greeted, following protocol and addressing the Queen first. This just gave Ben the time to stand there and gape at her. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."

"And I you General," Leia replied. She gestured to her son, who was still dumbfounded. "This is my son, Prince Ben Solo."

Leia looked at Ben then at Rey, figuring out what was going on. She smiled even wider. She was right, the magic was still there.

Obi-Wan observed his granddaughter. She was never that mischievous when it came to formal affairs. He assumed that Rey had met the Prince before. Judging from the look on the Queen's face, it was a good meeting.

"Prince Ben," Rey said, giving him her full attention. "It's nice to formally meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Ben replied, shaking off his surprise and adopting a charming air. He raised her hand to his lips in greeting. "My lady."

* * *

A/N: To be clear, I am not promoting cigarette smoking. It is a nasty habit that hurts you and people around you. As with excess drinking.

'My lady' bc influence of Anakin. A festival bc a festival just ended where I'm from. Obi-Wan being alive because I love Obi-Wan. Also, Finn is a stickler for rules so he keeps referring to Rey as 'General'.

Thoughts? Leave me a comment to let me know.


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